Lifeline Theatre’s “Rabbits In Their Pockets,” with LaKecia Harris and Simmery Branch/Photo: Josh Bernaski
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Cherries painted on the door lining the under-stairs room. Complemented so well by the reddish wood of the board, you could hardly see them. Unlike the bright cherries seen on the walls inside the hidden room, you have to work to see these childhood memories. Once you do, their presence is bittersweet. Tracing the cherries with her fingers, Ash is brought back to her childhood in this home. A home that she and her sister have to fix up to sell. One that she wants to heighten the joy of before that day arrives.
Kimberly Dixon-Mays’ contemporary play takes us on this journey together with sisters Harley and Ash (Simmery Branch and Lakecia Harris). This story is interwoven with references from the Br’er Rabbit African American folktales, as the characters reminisce about tales of the clever rabbit, perhaps not realizing how much his narrow escapes with Br’er Fox or Br’er Bear paralleled their own. More prominently, however, Dixon-Mays’ work incorporates magical realism as Ash (who works with rocket science) invents a device that can collect and redistribute joy throughout the house.
That’s how the sisters’ Black Joy House comes to get its name.
Lifeline Theatre’s “Rabbits In Their Pockets,” with Marcus D. Moore, Simmery Branch and Felicia McNeal/Photo: Josh Bernaski
We don’t get everything we need to know about the lives of these characters from the text. We don’t know what exactly Ash does, what happened with their mother, or how long it’s been since their father died. But we don’t need to. What makes Dixon-Mays’ script so strong is that it gives us a genuine slice of life from these women. The gaps in the story are not unlike those in our own families. Things get forgotten. Things are messy. That’s family. Even without every minute detail, it’s hard not to feel a kinship with these sisters. It feels too familiar to ignore, as if we’ve lived some of these moments too in our own families.
It can also be improv, Harley’s passion. Branch’s optimistic Harley is like a ray of sunshine bouncing around the home, exhilarated by the thought of her new improvisational theater center. Often accompanied by collaborator and friend Jasper (a charming Marcus D. Moore), the two are harmony personified—a fitting foil for Harris’ gloomier Ash. Always dressed in muted or neutral colors, Ash just wants to get this renovation done and get back to her life. Harris’ no-nonsense command of the stage is perfect for this role.
Then there is Inola. With a wink and a nod, this puzzling woman works her way into the Black Joy House. Powerfully played by Felisha McNeal, Inola’s air of mystery adds to the show’s magical realism, perhaps even carrying us back to the Br’er Rabbit stories. After all, some folktales have much to teach us long after childhood—even into adulthood, when we sometimes have to work harder for joy. One thing is for sure about “Rabbits in Their Pockets,” though: This cast won’t need a lucky rabbit’s foot to carry through this production.
“Rabbits in Their Pockets” runs through October 5 at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 North Glenwood. Tickets are $45 with discounts available and can be purchased at lifelinetheatre.com.
